New England Revolution send Saer Sene to New York Red Bulls in deal for Andre Akpan

Two Eastern Conference rivals swapped out-of-favor strikers on Tuesday, as the New York Red Bulls sent forward Andre Akpan and allocation money to the New England Revolution in exchange for forward Saer Sene and an international roster slot.

Sene scored 17 goals and added eight assists over three seasons with the Revs. In 2012, his first season with the club, he led the team in scoring with 11 goals to go along with three assists. Before joining MLS, the Paris-born attacker spent eight seasons between France and Germany, playing for Paris Saint-Germain B, FC Etampes, SG Schorndorf, SG Sonnenhof Grossaspach and Bayern Munich II.

“Saer, who can play wide or up front, will add a different dimension and another option to our attack,” said Red Bulls sporting director Andy Roxburgh in a statement. “We’re excited to bring him aboard and at the same time, we wish Andre all the best with his new club.”

Akpan (pictured at right) made just five appearances this season – all as a substitute – his second with RBNY. A product of Harvard University, the forward began his career with the Colorado Rapids and has made 41 career MLS appearances, scoring four goals and adding two assists.

“Andre is a player with experience in MLS who has roots in our area playing at Harvard,” Revolution general manager Michael Burns said. “We believe he can provide us with added competition at the forward position and give us more depth as we head into a playoff push.”